Chapter 27 Cold Comfort

The tent was set up and drying as Gia struggled out of her wet clothes. She was shivering in the cool air as she wrapped up in the blanket her mother held out to her.

"Let's get those clothes drying by the fire," Carla said, taking them as Gia stepped carefully over to the fire and sat on a log Mikey had positioned for her.

Vonn was wrapped in his own blanket, opposite her, shivering as well.

"I think it's getting colder," said Tom, holding his hands out to the warmth of the fire.

"Wonderful time to fall in the water," grumbled Gia, pulling the blanket tighter.

"There might be ice on the water in the morning, at this rate," said Carla, hanging the clothes on tree limbs.

All of the things in their bags had been emptied out and were spread all over the place to dry.

"It was way colder than this back in the city," said Vonn, watching as Mikey added wood to the fire. "The cold was bound to catch up to us."

"Why is it so much warmer here?" asked Mikey, sitting next to Tom.

"Maybe there being so many trees and mountains, the warmth has been trapped here," said Vonn, looking up at the trees around them.

"Or there's a lot of magic here," said Gia with a sigh.

"It's going to be really hard to travel if the cold weather continues," said Carla, finally sitting herself.

"Do we need to find some place to stay until winter is over?" asked Vonn.

"Not in this forest," said Gia. "But maybe in the elven forest?"

"I got the impression, from the dwarves, that we wouldn't find refuge in any of the places we visit on our travels. We must just continue putting one foot in front of the other and be more careful in the future. If an obstacle is in our path, rather than trying to push forward, we must err on the side of caution, even if it means our journey is longer," said Tom.

Gia sighed. He was right, of course. She couldn't stand the thought of losing anyone.

"How about we get the crossbow out and practice shooting it, in case we see a deer or rabbit?" asked Mikey, perking up at the thought.

"No, Mikey, the crossbow got wet. We have to let it dry out as well. You can oil it, though," said Vonn, nodding at the kit he had gotten with the weapon.

"Really?" exclaimed Mikey, jumping over to it.

"You need to know how to take care of it, if you plan on using it," said Vonn with a nod.

Gia and Carla watched him carefully open the kit as Vonn explained what each thing did and how to use them.

"Your clothes are dry enough to put back on," said Carla after checking the clothes draped over the branches. "You'll smell like wood smoke, but at least you'll be warmer than you are now."

Gia nodded, moving stiffly as she got up. Her feet were so cold she could barely feel them to walk over to the bush where she was to dress.

"The boots are still wet," said Vonn with a shake of his head. "We'll have to hope they're dry by morning so we can keep going."

"If they're not, we're staying right here," said Tom. "Your health is too important for us to put it at risk."

His breath was leaving puffs of moisture in the air at each word. Mikey had grown bored with the crossbow and had put it all away. His soft snores could be heard from inside the tent.

"It's a good thing there was so much dry wood here, that we could burn," said Gia, returning to the warmth of the fire. Her clothes had been warm when she put them on, but the chill in the air had sapped the warmth quickly, away from the fire.

"Did you see the giant stag?" asked Gia, settling onto her log. She hadn't wanted to bring it up with Mikey there.

"I heard you gasp, but no, I didn't see it," said Vonn with a shake of his head.

"I missed it, too," said Tom with a slight smile.

"Oh, you!" snorted Carla, slapping his arm lightly.

"Ooh! I got a snort out of you!" Tom said excitedly. "I haven't gotten a snort in a while!"

"And you won't get another for a while!" growled Carla, fighting the grin that threatened to overtake her entire face.

Tom laughed and grabbed her up in a kiss.

"Let's leave the young'uns, to tend the fire and we can get cozy in bed," whispered Tom in her ear, plenty loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Oh? Are you that tired?" teased Carla, a sparkle in her eye.

"It has been a rather trying day," agreed Tom with a chuckle.

"It has," agreed Carla with a serious look. "Let's get you in bed then, old man."

"Old man?!" exclaimed Tom, pretending to be offended.

She shook her head as she pulled Tom to his feet and led him into the tent. There was a moment of rustling as they got their bedding in order and moved Mikey over before silent reigned in the area. A few moments later, soft snores could be heard from all three of them.

Gia rested her head on Vonn's shoulder, watching the fire burn the logs he had added a few moments ago. Her feet were held out towards the fire, soaking up whatever warmth they could.

"Do you think we'll be like that when we're old?" asked Vonn softly.

Glancing at the tent where her family was sleeping, Gia smiled softly and said, "I hope so. How long do you think it will take for us to get to where we're going?"

Vonn sighed and shook his head. "I'm honestly not sure. The past month has gone by so quickly, and yet we're barely a quarter of the way where we need to be."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"The mountains are very dangerous here, so we can't cross them until we get further south. I don't know how long that will take. I'm hoping the elves have maps they will be willing to let us use."

"Why do you think the army came to kill everyone?" she asked, her eyes drifted shut as she struggled to keep them open.

"I'm not sure. I just hope whatever is going on will be over by the time we reach our destination. I want to be able to build us a house where we can raise a family."

"That sounds nice," murmured Gia, snuggling into his side and falling asleep.

Every time she started to wake, from the cold, warmth would wash over her, and she settled back into a deeper sleep. When the day started to dawn, she woke with a start. The fire was dying down, but didn't look as if it had been banked to burn all night. Vonn must have been adding wood all night to keep her warm.

"Good morning, beautiful," he said with a smile, handing her a stick with cooked meat on it.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the warm stick and sniffing the delicious aroma.

"Squirrel. I noticed a nest of them in the tree above us and put the crossbow to work. I was worried it would wake you, but you were sound asleep."

"How much sleep did you get last night?" she asked, eyeing him with a worried expression.

"I got plenty. Your shivering woke me and I added more wood to the fire, but I feel well rested. We stopped early last night, remember?"

She nodded, not convinced. The smell of the meat had everyone else up pretty quickly. Mikey was ecstatic over getting to try a new meat.

"It's been a long time since I've had squirrel," said Tom, taking a bite.

"It's just as delicious as the last time," said Carla, tearing off a chunk of her own and popping it into her mouth.

"It's not much, but it should let our rations last a little longer," said Vonn, turning the next batch over the fire. "I caught enough we can eat it all day."

"Are the boots dry?" asked Carla, reaching for one.

"No, unfortunately they're not," said Vonn, shaking his head. "We can rest here a day and let everything finish drying. I don't want to reach our destination and find out a war is still raging."

"I forgot there was a war going on," said Carla, looking over at Gia. "We've been going for what feels like forever, just trying to survive, I hadn't thought about what must be going on, on the other side of the mountain."

"We were talking about how long it might take to get where we're going," said Gia, looking over at Vonn.

"I think it might take a year or more, to get back, but I'm hoping the elves have a map we can use, to see exactly."

"That sounds like a plan," said Tom, with a nod.

"Hey! Look! More fairies!" cried Mikey, pointing in the direction they intended to travel once everything was dry.

Lined up on a branch were tiny figures, huddled together in the cold, fluttering their little wings as they watched them. They had green clothes, but looked nothing like the fairy that the satyr had used against them. These fairies looked like tiny people, except with wings.